A team of CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) visited Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia’s house on Mathura Road, connection with the alleged irregularities in AAP (Aam Aadmi Party) government’s social media campaign ‘Talk to AK’ (Talk to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal). In the January this year, the CBI had registered a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) against the deputy CM and others in connection with the social media campaign ‘Talk to AK’. However, CBI clarified that there was no raid or search at Sisodia’s residence. The visit of the CBI team is to seek clarification on certain issues relating to the ongoing inquiry into the alleged corruption case. According to our Indian rules, no raid can be conducted under a Preliminary Enquiry.
‘Talk to AK’, the maiden interactive session of the Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, through which people could reach out to the AAP leader and discussed an array of the hard issue which was live streamed on the website www.talktoak.com. The PE had filed based on a complaint by the Vigilance Department of the Delhi government. The complaint alleged that a consultant of a well-known public relations company was hired with a proposal of Rs 1.5 crore by the Delhi government to promote the social media campaign named ‘Talk to AK’. The complaint also alleged that the government went ahead with it despite objections from the principal secretary and the consultant spent the money thereby creating a liability for the government.
The CBI’s inquiry will look into the alleged role of Manish Sisodia, head of the Department of Information and Publicity (DIP) of the program. The program was criticized by the opposition after its first edition. The opposition alleged that the ruling party taking questions related to Goa and Punjab, instead of taking about the capital’s issue and using public money to whet its election campaign in Goa and Punjab. AAP leaders said the program generated wide interest but the BJP (Bharatiya Janta Party) and the Congress had called it a marketing gimmick at the cost of the exchequer.
After the announcement of the CBI inquiry, the muffler man (Arvind Kejriwal) alleged that the Centre was “gunning” for the AAP government and termed the CBI visit a conspiracy to stop Manish Sisodia’s hard work to make government schools better than the private ones. In this context, sacked AAP Minister Kapil Mishra tweeted, that when there is a CBI raid, Kejriwal cries foul and calls it Modi’s conspiracy and asked him about his party member’s honesty. He also suggests Kejriwal leave his post and added that the Chief Minister’s chair has become his weakness. So far, 19 legislators of the party have been arrested in various cases.
But Arvind Kejriwal’s media advisor Mr. Nagender Sharma has slammed the move. He said, “How can CBI come into the picture when not a single penny has been spent on ‘Talk to AK’ program? It means-Caged parrot has not been briefed properly by masters again.”
